Hello Nunya, thanks for replying.
You said:
"If you want your ideas challenged, listen to the Paulogia YouTube channel. He is excellent overall and absolutely dismantles Strobels book."
I'm familiar with a lot of the ideas and guests on that channel. In general, I'm not impressed.
I've found that Paulogia, and the many channels like it, tend to appeal to only two kinds of people:
1) Those who are looking for a reason not to believe Christianity
2) Those who have only been exposed to this side, and who therefore assume it's the only intellectual side.
In other words: it appeals to people who want to believe what it's saying, but fails to persuade anyone who is not pre-disposed to it. The arguments by themselves are fairly weak, when you place them in the context of the this entire field of study.
But if you feel Paulogia has a particularly persuasive argument about something, please feel free to present it here. I'd love to go over it, see why you find it persuasive, and see how it compares to the evidence.
You said:
"As much as I wish I could buy into Christianity, none of it makes sense to me anymore and it falls apart on nearly every level of inspection."
I'd like to hear the specific areas in which you feel it falls apart. You've responded to many of my claims, but I'd love to hear your specific story. What are the most important parts to you?
I've found exactly the opposite. Belief systems like atheism and naturalism fall apart, unable to justify their own assumptions and presuppositions.
Christianity offers a far more robust and cohesive belief system.
You said:
"I doubt we will change each other’s mind but if you want to be a semi-effective apologist, I really do suggest you watch a lot of Paulogia. He has on good guests such as Bart Ehrman who make a more compelling case to me and others in a more objective manner than so many Christian’s appeal to emotion or scripture."
My friend, everyone is vulnerable to emotional appeals.
In the two classes of people I listed above, both are persuaded by emotion.
The first group, those who want an excuse not to believe in Christianity, are often being compelled by emotion. They were hurt in church, or they were disappointed, or they feel God failed them, and they want a reason not to believe anymore. Their emotion drives them.
The second group likewise is driven by emotion, but of another type. If this is the only type of argument they've been exposed to, and they believe the religious people don't have intellectual arguments on their side, then the emotions of smugness, superiority, and identity often keep them in this place. When you feel like you believe the superior position, and you enjoy feeling superior, you don't seriously examine the other side.
Emotion is present everywhere, my friend. None of us are free of its influence.
